Ashes to Ashes and Tears to Dust
by xObsessive.Compulsivex
Summary: Lupin battles Wormtail for the safety of the Wizarding world...until Snape steps in. Song fic to the My Chemical Romance song Helena. Oneshot as well. Please take the time to R&R.


**Disclaimer: I do not own any Harry Potter characters, nor do I own Hogwarts. The song that was used in this story was written and performed by My Chemical Romance. And the song title is called "Helena". I didn't use some of the song, due to the fact I didn't want to copy write it too much.

* * *

**

"You see this here? This was a gift given to me by my master." Wormtail said, holding up the silver hand.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Remus Lupin asked, looking at the silver hand, wondering why his former friend acted like this thing was a most prized possession.

Wormtail, without answering, picked up a large rock and crushed it to powder.

For a second, there was a flicker of fear in Lupin's eyes.

"This hand has the strength to crush a werewolf's skull." Wormtail said, flexing the silver fingers. "And I know a certain werewolf who's skull I want to crush."

Wormtail had a vicious hunger in his eyes.

"Well, that's too bad, Peter, there's no full moon tonight." Lupin said, looking up at the sky.

'Please, god, don't let there be a full moon tonight." Lupin thought.

"Heh. I never thought I'd come face-to-face with a beast like you. I've been _wanting_ to use my new weapon for years now." Wormtail said.

"I know you, Peter. You're too cowardly to use that weapon, let alone fight." Lupin laughed, continuing to point his wand at the traitor.

" I'm different now. I'm stronger, braver, and much more confident that before. Hanging around the Dark Lord can change you quite a bit." Wormtail said.

It's true, Wormtail _did_ look different. Was it because he lost a lot of weight, looked healthy, or was it because of the brand-new robes he wore? Lupin _did_ notice all these changes in him. It's strange to think that this traitor, standing in front of him, threatening to crush his skull, was ever his friend.

"To be honest, you _do_ look different. But you still have the eyes of a coward." Lupin said.

"I am _not_ a coward!" Wormtail yelled, clenching his hand into a fist.

"Yes you are! You are a coward _and_ a traitor." Lupin said, angrily.

Wormtail lunged at Lupin, but Lupin ducked out of the way.

And to think, this man used to hang out with him in school, let alone be one of the Marauders. But now that this treacherous man deceived everyone, James and Lily are dead. And now that Wormtail was back with Voldemort, it's his fault Voldemort's back to full strength. And now Sirius is dead because of it. Because Voldemort rounded up his supporters once again. Because Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius' cousin, had such a hatred for him. Because the goddamn Ministry had that stupid veil. Who knew no one came out of it once they disappeared behind it? Surely Harry Potter didn't. The look on his face when he realized Sirius _wasn't_ coming out. And then, the fact that Severus Snape, the "trustworthy" (**A/N: notice the parenthesis? Yeah. They thought he was.)** Potions Master, killed Albus Dumbledore. The only one who actually allowed me to come to Hogwarts because of my condition.

And now, it's up to Lupin to defeat Lord Voldemorts Servant.

"RICTASEMPRA!" Lupin bellowed, shooting a red light at Wormtail.

But, unfortunately, Wormtail blocked the spell with his artificial hand.

"It can even block your pathetic little spells." Wormtail said, pompously.

'Think, Lupin, think. He can block your spells, but _something_ has to work.' Lupin thought, frantically searching the area around him, to see if he can find something to hit Wormtail with, or to throw at him.

"What's the matter werewolf? Giving up already?" Wormtail asked.

"No. There's no way in _hell_ I would _ever_ give up." Lupin said, confidently.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!" Someone behind Lupin bellowed.

Before Lupin hit the ground, he spun around to see a greasy-haired, hooked-nosed, sallow-faced man standing behind him, pointing his wand at Lupin.

"Severus! Thank you!" Wormtail said, excitedly.

But, all Snape accomplished was knocking Lupin off his feet.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Lupin bellowed, pointing his wand at Wormtail.

The flashing, bright-green light hit Wormtail right between the eyes.

Wormtail's lifeless body fell to the ground with a loud 'thud'.

"Well, well, well." Snape said, turning around to look at Lupin.

But Lupin just glared at Snape. He then looked up at the castle, hoping to god none of the students saw any of this.

"Using one of the illegal curses can seriously land you in Azkaban. But, clearly you already knew that." Snape said, his voice sounding as oily as his hair.

"I had to do it." Lupin said, angrily through clenched teeth, glaring at Wormtail's corpse.

"Well then, since you killed the Dark Lord's servant, that must mean you should die as well." Snape said, then pointed his wand at Lupin.

"Go ahead. I don't see any reason for me to live. I _have_ nothing to live for anyway. All the ones I care about were killed by your clan. So, just hurry up and get it over with." Lupin said, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Throw me your wand." Snape said, maliciously.

Lupin did as he was told, but kept his hands up in the air.

"Give me one reason you want to live." Snape said, pointing Lupin's wand at Lupin.

"I'm on the good side. I'm not a deceiving, backstabbing, greasy-haired, little deatheater like you." Lupin said, but smiled.

This clearly made Snape mad, because, as Lupin continued to smile, Snape bellowed the two words that would guarantee anyone death.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Snape bellowed, hitting Lupin with the blinding green light.

The lifeless body of Remus John Lupin, former Hogwarts student, and former Hogwarts teacher, slowly fell to the ground.

_Can you hear me?_

_Are you near me?_

_Can we pretend_

_To leave and then_

_We'll meet again._

_When both our cars collide._

Up in the castle, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger decided to take a nighttime stroll in the castle with the invisibility cloak.

With the invisibility cloak in place, the three took off down the corridor, glancing at the Marauder's map once in a while to make sure no one was around.

Long ago 

_Just like the hearse you die to get in again_

_We are_

_So far from you._

As they walked out into the entrance hall, they peered at the map, and saw three figures on the ground labeled: Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

Burning on 

_Just like the match you strike to incinerate_

_The lives of everyone you know_

_And the worst you take_

_From every heart you break_

_And like the blade you stain_

_Well I've been holding on tonight._

Once the three Gryffindors stepped one foot on the grounds, the map began to light up.

What's the worst that I can say? 

_Things are better if I stay_

_So long and good night_

_So long and good night._

And with in seconds, the map suddenly turned to sand, and began spilling out of Harry's hands and onto the ground, disappearing once it touched the ground.

Came a time 

_When every star falls_

_Brought you to tears again_

_We are_

_The very hurt._

"What's going on?" Hermione asked, watching the sand pour between Harry's fingers.

"I don't know." Harry said.

But when they headed toward Hagrid's cabin, they spotted two bodies lying in the middle of the grounds.

The three clearly recognized them. One was the shabby Professor Remus J. Lupin, the other was the treacherous Peter Pettigrew.

Can you hear me? 

_Are you near me?_

_Can we pretend to leave and then._

_We'll meet again._

_When both our cars collide._

_What's the worst that I can say?_

_Things are better if I stay_

_So long and good night_

_So long and good night_

_And if you carry on this way_

_Things are better if I stay_

_So long and good night_

_So long and good night._

"Oh my god!" Hermione said as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Professor Lupin, can you hear me?" Harry asked the corpse, putting his ear close to Lupin's nose, checking to see if he was breathing.

Once he shook his head, indicating that Lupin wasn't breathing, Hermione dropped to her knees and began to cry.

"Someone should get McGonagall. She'd want to see this." Harry said to the two, trying to hold back his tears.

"This bloak's dead too." Ron said, checking Peter's pulse.

"Good. He deserved it." Harry said, glaring at Peter's corpse.

"I'll go get McGonagall." Hermione said, wiping the tears off her face.

"Okay, thanks Hermione." Harry said.

As soon as Hermione left, Ron turned to Harry.

"I wonder what happened." Ron said, curiously.

"It's hard to tell." Harry said.

"Hey, wait a minute…didn't the map say that there was three people out here?" Ron asked, kneeling beside Harry.

"Now that you mention it, there was. The third one, it said, was Snape." Harry said.

"But what was he doing here? Wasn't he sacked?" Ron asked.

"Yes he was. But the bigger question is, what were all three of them doing at Hogwarts?" Harry said, more to himself than to Ron.

After a few minutes passed, McGonagall and all four heads of houses ran down the stone steps toward both Ron and Harry.

"Miss Granger filled us in on what happened. But, we couldn't believe it." McGonagall said, staring at Lupin's lifeless body.

"Snape was here too." Harry said.

"Did you see him?" McGonagall asked.

"Well, not really, but we know he was on the grounds with these two." Harry said, indicating the corpses of Lupin and Wormtail.

"Well, if you didn't see, him, then how'd you know he was here?" McGonagall asked.

"Well…" Harry began, then sighed.

He_ had _to tell them about the Marauder's map. It was gone now, so McGonagall couldn't confiscate it.

"We had a map. The Marauder's map." Harry said.

"But…Filch hasn't been able to find that for years." McGonagall said.

"That's because we've had it." Ron said.

"Where is it now?" McGonagall asked.

"It's been destroyed." Harry said.

"Destroyed, how?" Slughorn piped up.

"We don't know. But once we stepped out here, it turned to sand and disappeared." Harry said.

"All the Marauder's have been killed. _That's_ why it disappeared." Hermione finally said.

"What are you on about, Hermione?" Ron asked, quite befuddled.

"Well, Professor Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew were the Marauders, am I correct?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Harry said.

"They've all been killed, correct?" Hermione asked.

"Yes." Ron said.

"Well, then, once the last two Marauders died, the map disintegrated. All four of the Marauder's were connected to the map. Hence 'Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Proudly present to you, The Marauder's map'. You die, and the map dies with you." Hermione said.

The next morning was the funeral for Remus Lupin. Those who knew him very well, or who considered him the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, attended the funeral.

Like Dumbledore, they buried Lupin on the grounds near the lake as well. Since he _did_ consider Hogwarts his home.

What's the worst that I can say? 

_Things are better if I stay_

_So long and good night_

_So long and good night.

* * *

_


End file.
